The business area on Argyle Street was a disaster. A Chinese organization, Hip Sing, 
had the idea of turning the area into a new Chinatown. But they had little success because of crime. However, we thought that maybe it would be a good place to start our Vietnamese business area.
We were eager for Hip Sing to rent us some empty stores. They said, "No, you're not Chinese. This is the New Chinatown." But I began to work closely with the manager of one of the buildings. I said, "If you can help us, we can all do well. There aren't many Chinese living here. If you let the Vietnamese rent these spaces, this area can be developed. I can find new arrivals from Vietnam to live in buildings that Hip Sing owns. They will shop here on Argyle and the area will grow and develop." He agreed.
I didn't know anything about business in America, but I was able to provide a translation service so the Vietnamese could gain business permits. The neighborhood began to grow.
Nearly all the area's business pioneers were Vietnamese who pooled their family's money together or borrowed from friends. The first places were restaurants and small markets. As more Vietnamese moved into the neighborhood and new businesses were springing up, the bad people had fewer and fewer empty buildings to hang out in. And as the neighborhood began to come back to life, the police department sent more police officers. But on the side streets, it was still something else.
Argyle Street became a place where people could have an ordinary life, and it has become an international area. There are more than fifty Vietnamese family-owned businesses on the street. There are also stores owned by Chinese, Ethiopians, a Jewish butcher, two Hispanic food stores, an American bar, and several cafés.
The Vietnamese restaurants do a lot of their business with tourists on weekends. Their income is not very high, but they survive through the hard work of the family. For example, Mr. and Mrs. Phan came here as "boat" people and worked in a factory to earn enough money to open a small restaurant. Their food is delicious, and they charge low prices. The restaurant stays open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. They earn enough money to keep the family well fed and have a little left over to save.
The most famous place in the neighborhood is the Mekong Restaurant, on the corner of Argyle and Broadway, which attracts many people from all over. The owner, Mr. Lam Ton, once worked for the U.S. State Department in Vietnam.
The first year his restaurant opened, Lam Ton lost money. Many people still thought that the neighborhood was very rough, with a lot of crimes. But, suddenly, his business became popular after a newspaper report praised the restaurant. The Mekong brought the neighborhood to people's attention. They began calling Argyle Street "Little Saigon ".
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